Money magazine names Brown University 19th best school in U.S.

BROWN UNIVERSITY was the only Rhode Island college to rank among the top 50 schools in Money magazine's new ranking of U.S. colleges and universities released Monday. Brown ranked No. 19, while Bryant University ranked No. 86 and Providence College ranked No. 114. / COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY
BROWN UNIVERSITY was the only Rhode Island college to rank among the top 50 schools in Money magazine's new ranking of U.S. colleges and universities released Monday. Brown ranked No. 19, while Bryant University ranked No. 86 and Providence College ranked No. 114. / COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY

PROVIDENCE – Money magazine has named Brown University the 19th best school overall and the 15th best private school in its inaugural value ranking of U.S. colleges and universities released Monday.

Money awarded Brown a value grade of “A-” and cited the school’s strong science programs, high graduate average salary, and policy of academic liberty that allows students to design their own majors.

“This Ivy League school gives students an unusual amount of academic freedom,” wrote Money magazine in its assessment of Brown. “The only class requirement is that students take at least one writing course by the end of sophomore year. Otherwise, undergrads can choose whatever courses they like, at Brown or just down College Hill at the Rhode Island School of Design.”

The net price of a Brown University degree is $192,028, Money said, and graduates make an average annual salary of $52,300 within five years of graduating.

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The top five best-value schools in Money’s ranking were Babson College in Wellesley, Mass.; the Webb Institute in Glen Cove, N.Y.; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.; Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., and Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. Harvard University in Cambridge ranked sixth.

Money developed its Best Colleges value ranking as an alternative to current rankings such as the annual U.S. News & World Report list that tend to reward academic rigor and reputation at the expense of financial concerns. Over nine months, Money evaluated more than 1,500 four-year schools across the country on the basis of 18 measures of educational quality, affordability and career earnings, narrowing the list down to the top 665 colleges and universities.

Each of the 665 colleges named to the list “offer a top-notch education at an affordable price … that usually leads to a well-paid career,” Money said. Specific measures assessed included the six-year graduation rate, the net price of a degree, student and parent debt, early and mid-career earnings, and instructor quality.

Other Rhode Island schools included in the ranking were:

  • Bryant University (No. 86)
  • Providence College (No. 114)
  • Rhode Island School of Design (No. 307)
  • University of Rhode Island (No. 319)
  • Salve Regina University (No. 389)
  • Roger Williams University (No. 649)

In addition to the Best Colleges ranking, Bryant University and Providence College were also recognized on the Money magazine list of the “25 Best Colleges That You Can Actually Get Into,” placing at No. 10 and No. 16, respectively.

The “25 Best Colleges That You Can Actually Get Into” included schools that accept at least 50 percent of applicants and where a typical student had a “B” average in high school.

To view the complete ranking, click HERE.

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